The Rural Voice, 2006-10, Page 10Jeffrey Carter
Zucchinis: theg're better than you think
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
The zucchini is the kind of
vegetable that doesn't receive a lot of
play in most meat and potato
households. But it's worth a second
look.
It's easy to grow and low in fat and
calories. It's a nutritional dynamo
and may even reduce the risk of heart
disease and cancer.
I transplanted two yellow -bearing
and two green -bearing zucchini
plants this spring around the same
time as my tomatoes. A hefty shovel
of compost was mixed with soil to
form a small hill for each plant,
leaving plenty of room for growth
since a single plant may end up
covering several square feet.
Anyone who's grown zucchinis
will know they yield a prodigious
amount of fruit, especially if they
receive plenty of water. The trick is
to harvest the fruit when they're six
to seven inches in length, about the
size of a large cucumber.
In the heat of summer, it's amazing
how fast they grow. Leave relatively
small zucchinis for a week untouched
and you'll suddenly find yourselves
with several football -sized fruit to
deal with.
There's no need to panic, however.
While the smaller fruits are said to
be tastier, large fruits are fine for
zucchini bread and soup. I've also
found that there's little impact on
taste if you remove part of the inner
white part before incorporating the
remaining zucchini into a recipe.
This year, my family has managed
to make use of every single zucchini
produced — even the monsters.
That's because the zucchini is
surprisingly versatile and, with the
right accompaniments and such
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6 THE RURAL VOICE
seasonings as herbs, onions and
garlic, surprisingly tasty.
When there's a big flush of fruit,
my wife will bake zucchini bread,
quadrupling a recipe from Betty
Crocker and freezing half a dozen
loaves.
There's also a tasty soup that can
use up a lot of zucchini. For a
single batch, saute one apple and one
onion (both chopped and peeled) in
some butter and add one or two
teaspoons of curry powder and a
pinch of salt. Pour in four cups of
chicken stock. Add two cups of
grated zucchini and a quarter cup of
uncooked rice. Cover and cook for
about 30 minutes. Use a blender to
make a smooth, uniform mixture and
then add a cup of milk and
heat a few minutes longer.
Without the addition of milk, this
soup can be frozen for later use.
Zucchini can also be baked, with
butter and cheese melted on top or
fried with tomato, onion, garlic and
garden herbs. I've skewered zucchini,
together other vegetables and meat
for the barbecue. Cut in strips, it's an
interesting addition to stir fries.
Grated zucchini fried with onion
actually improves the flavour of
scrambled eggs and western
sandwiches.
One of my favourites uses for
zucchini is as a topping for
homemade pizza. Chopped zucchini
and egg plant are coated with olive
oil and mixture of salt, pepper and
fresh oregano. Bake for about 30
minutes at 400 degrees Celsius,
stirring occasionally. With much of
the water content removed, the
mixture, which is significantly
reduced in volume, can then
accompany other pizza toppings or be
used on its own with a sprinkling of
cheese.°
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